Joseph vickerstaff



UNITED sTArEs PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH VICKERSTAFF, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TOMARTINLANDENBERGER.

KNITTED FABRIC.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 17,612, dated June 16, 1857.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH VICKERSTAFF, of the city of Philadelphia andState of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement inKnitted Fabrics; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and eXact description of the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawing and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

My invention relates to improvements in that class of ornamented knittedfabrics in which threads of various colors are used to produce therequired pattern, and my improvement consists in knitting simultaneouslyand in juXta-position to each other two separate thicknesses andinterlocking the same together at any required intervals by transposingthe threads for forming the loops of one thickness, so as to form theloop of the other thickness, alternately; thereby producin an ornamentalfabric with a variety o differently shaped and differently coloredfigures on both sides which present a lain uninterrupted surface ofloops the atter differing in no respect, at the oint of transposition ofthe threads, from ot er portions of fabric, and both sides of the fabricbeing free from the loose unknitted threads common to other knittedfabrics, which are ornamented by the transposing of differently coloredthreads.

On reference to the drawing which forms a part of this specificationFigures 1 2 are diagrams representing the transposition of differentlycolored threads so as to produce my improved ornamented knitted fabric.Fig. 3 a diagram in perspective representing the result of suchtransposition.

A represents one of a row of threads for knitting one thickness of my imroved fabric, and B one of another row of t reads for knitting anotherthickness, the thread A being red and the thread B blue. As seen in Fig.1 the red thread A is being operated upon by the needle C and the bluethread B by the needle D. Should the needles continue to o erate thuswithout the position of the threa being altered, two se arate anddistinct fabrics would be prodjuced. By transposing the threads howeveras seen in Fig. 2, that is causing the red thread A to be operated bythe needle D, and the blue thread B by the needle C, the two thicknessesbecome interlocked, at the point where the transposition takes place,and if the transposition be continued at intervals as the fabric isbeing knitted the red and blue thread will appear on and disappear from,both sides of the fabric, as seenin Figs. 2 and 3.

If a series of different colored threads (as seen in the perspectiveview Fig. 3) be used for both thicknesses of the fabric and thetransposition of these threads occurs at equal intervals it is evidentthat a plaid pattern with the colors alternating at equal distancesapart, as regards the length of the fabric will be produced, theuniformity or regularity of the changes of colors, as regards the widthof the fabric, de ending entirely upon the arrangement of an change ofcolors, and shades of colors in, the two sets of threads.

By using a great variety of different colored threads and transposingthe latter at irregular intervals, the most elaborate plaid patterns maybe produced. My im roved fabric however is not confined to plaidpatterns only. Instead of transposing the whole of the threadssimultaneously, single threads or any number of threads in each row canbe transposed by jacquard or other apparatus so that the threads may bemade to a pear on, and disap ear from, both sides of t e fabric atirreguar intervals thereby producing an endless variety of irregularfigures.

The fabric thus manufactured presents, on both sides, a plainuninterrupted, knitted surface, the loops being uniform throughout, anddiffering at the point of transposition of the threads, in no respectfrom the loops, of other portions of the fabric. At the same time theloose unknitted threads, which have hitherto been unavoidable in themanufacture of ornamental knitted fabrics are avoided.

I do not claim exclusively the production of a knitted fabric ornamentedby the transposition of threads of different colors, but

I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent as a new article ofmanufacture and commerce- A fabric knitted with threads of differentcolors and comlposed of two separate thicknesses interloc ed, during theprocess of knitting, at any required intervals, by trans- In testimonywhereof, I have signed my Eosing the threads in such a manner that aname to this speeication before two subnitted fabric may be produced,both sides seribing Witnesses. j of Which shall present a plainuninterrupted JOSEPH VICKERSTAFF. 5 surface of loo s and free from theloose un- Witnesses:

knitted threa s common to other oranmental HENRY HOWSON, knittedfabrics. WILLIAM E. WALToN. y

